My darling younger sister has always been an amazing runner. She has competed in track, cross-country, soccer, and gymnastics without injury, including while running in college. Now, three kids and several years removed from her prime, she experiences a minor calf injury while attempting to train for her first marathon. Looking for treatment advice from the experts, she asks our brother about it. In the most direct, non-soft way possible, he says,"Let me tell you something that no one else will. You are getting old. You cannot run as fast as you used to."
We all laughed heartily at that wisdom, and I imagine this was truly ground-breaking news for the fast sister. (Not to mention a what-do-you-really-think-about-me moment between siblings.) But the point holds true for all of us. None of us are as fast as we used to be, and sometimes we need permission for that to be okay. We need someone who knows us well enough to tell us that it is okay for our PRs to be distant memories; some days it is enough just to keep moving. We need that person around who we trust when they say it's okay to take a day off, but who encourages us to keep going, too. So thanks, Brother, for setting the example of a dedicated runner, but for keeping us humble and real. And by the way, you will always be older, so let us now how this old age thing works out.
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